


sparrows.

by pyroallerdyce



Series: (not at all spooky) skywalkers series [october writing challenge 2020] [21]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - 1990s, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/M, One Shot Collection, Prompt Fic, Short One Shot, Tumblr Prompt, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000, october writing challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:16:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27143710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyroallerdyce/pseuds/pyroallerdyce
Summary: Luke watched Mara from across the room, seeing her sketch something before quickly erasing it, then sketch something again before quickly erasing that too.  “What are you sketching?”Mara didn’t glance up at him.  “I’m trying to perfect something.”“What?”  When Mara didn’t answer, Luke realized what was going on.  “You’ve been working on that drawing for twenty years.  Just get the tattoo already.”or:  Mara's wanted a tattoo for decades but has never gotten it.  Luke finds out why.(these will really make little sense unless you read the whole series.)
Relationships: Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker
Series: (not at all spooky) skywalkers series [october writing challenge 2020] [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947904
Kudos: 13
Collections: October Writing Challenge - 2020





	sparrows.

**Author's Note:**

> attempt to break my writer's block day 21. 
> 
> we're almost to the ben/rey section and I'm really hoping those go better than these have. I'll be perfectly honest - I hate every one of these han/leia and luke/mara ones that I've written so far. I'm just not happy with them. i think it's because I don't really have a great grasp on them. i don't know.
> 
> anyway, and as always, if you like what you read and you want to see more, please let me know via a comment or kudos or bookmark so that I know I'm not writing into a void. enjoy!
> 
> october 21: “You’ve been working on that drawing for twenty years. Just get the tattoo already.”

**1998**

Luke watched Mara from across the room, seeing her sketch something before quickly erasing it, then sketch something again before quickly erasing that too. “What are you sketching?”

Mara didn’t glance up at him. “I’m trying to perfect something.”

“What?” When Mara didn’t answer, Luke realized what was going on. “You’ve been working on that drawing for twenty years. Just get the tattoo already.”

Mara did look up at that. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Luke rolled his eyes. “Yes, I do. You’re sketching that design for your tattoo again. Just get it already.”

“My parents would freak out if I got a tattoo. You know that.”

“Mara, you’re 40-years-old,” Luke said seriously. “I think it’s past time for you to worry about what your parents will think if you get a tattoo.”

“You know what I mean, Luke,” Mara sighed. “I can’t do this.”

Luke shook his head. “No, I really don’t know what you mean beyond you coming up with yet another excuse to not get the tattoo that you’ve wanted to get since we were in high school. So what has to happen in order for you to get the tattoo?”

Mara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m scared of needles, okay?”

Luke blinked. “You’re scared of needles?”

“Yes.”

“How the hell did I not know that?” Luke exclaimed. “I know everything about you.”

Mara opened her eyes and narrowed them. “You do not know everything about me.”

“You know everything about me!” 

“I assure you that I don’t,” Mara replied. “Moving on, I’m afraid of needles and therefore I don’t want to get the tattoo.”

Luke stood up and went over to where Mara was sitting on the sofa, sitting down and reaching for her hand. “Would it help if I got one too?”

Mara’s head whipped around so she was looking at him. “You’d get a tattoo?”

“Yeah,” Luke said, nodding. “I always thought that it would be cool to draw a complimentary tattoo to what you came up with and then I’d get that one and you’d get yours and we’d have kinda matching tattoos.”

Mara reached out and smacked his shoulder. “When were you going to tell me that?”

“When you decided to get it,” Luke said simply. “I just didn’t expect us to still be sitting here twenty years later waiting for you to do it.”

Mara shook her head. “I’d have gotten it decades ago if I knew that you’d do it with me.”

“What happened to your parents disapproving?”

“You know that was a bullshit excuse,” Mara laughed. “I mean, you just called me on it.”

Luke smiled and stood. “Alright, so we’re getting tattoos. Let me grab my sketchbook, you can show me your drawing, and then I’ll get to sketching.”

Mara nodded and turned her attention back to her sketchbook. Luke came back a few moments later and then they were talking back and forth, showing each other designs until they came to their final decision. They held the sketches side by side and took them in. Mara’s was a sparrow with a ribbon flowing off its neck, the words _peace of mind_ written on the ribbon. Luke’s was a sparrow with a ribbon flowing off its neck, his ribbon saying _and a hopeful heart_. 

They were perfect.

“We need to find a place to get them done,” Luke said. “I’ll go get the phone book and we can start calling around, getting an idea on price.”

Mara shook her head. “No.”

Luke looked at her after standing up. “What do you mean, no?”

“I told you, I hate needles,” Mara said. “Besides, this will look ridiculous on me anyway.”

Luke stood there until he got an idea. “Come into my studio with me. And bring your sketchbook!”

Mara gave him a crazy look. “What?”

“Just come into my studio, okay?” 

Luke turned and walked towards the studio without looking to see if Mara was following him. He was looking for the right brushes for his idea when he heard Mara come into the room. “Sit down.”

“Luke, what are you doing?”

“Just sit down, okay?” Luke said, finding the right brushes and grabbing them. 

He sat down next to her and reached for his palette, smiling at his wife. “Tell me what colors you want the tattoo to be.”

“Luke, seriously, what are you doing?” Mara asked. “I am seriously confused.”

“Tell me what colors you want the tattoo to be and where you want to get it,” Luke said, turning to look at his array of paints. “I hope I have the right colors.”

Mara sat there for a moment before breaking out into a smile. “You’re going to paint this on me, aren’t you?”

Luke nodded. “You need to see what it looks like and if you really want it instead of just completely dismissing the idea because you don’t like needles. You don’t have to sit there and watch them do the tattoo. You can look at me instead.”

Mara took a deep breath. “Black sparrow, pink ribbon, purple lettering.”

“Excellent,” Luke said, grabbing the requested colors and preparing his palette. “Where do you want the tattoo?”

Mara pushed her left sleeve up and ran her fingers along the inside of her forearm. “Here.”

Luke smiled and reached for a stool. “Lay your arm on that and set the sketch next to it.”

Mara did as asked and then Luke got to work. She watched the brushstrokes as the sparrow came into view, and with every stroke, she became more excited. When Luke was finished, she held up her arm and tilted it side to side, the idea she’d had since she was a teenager coming to life. Luke cleaned his brushes and palette before setting them to the side, and when he turned back to Mara, she was grinning. 

“So, do you like it?” Luke asked, and Mara tore her eyes away from the design on her arm to look at her husband.

“It’s beautiful.”

“It should be there all the time then,” Luke said seriously. “And it could be.”

Mara took a deep breath. “I need to think on it.”

“Of course,” Luke said, moving to stand up only for Mara to stop him. “What?”

“I need to reciprocate, of course,” Mara said, and Luke smiled. 

“Yeah, let’s see what mine would look like too.”

Luke sat back down and handed Mara the brushes and palette, he told her that he wanted a black sparrow, green ribbon, and black lettering, and then Mara got to work, careful not to smudge the painting on her arm. When she was finished, Luke examined his arm and then reached for Mara’s, putting them side by side.

“They look incredible together,” Mara murmured, and Luke reached out with his other arm to take her hand. “We need to take a picture.”

“We will in a minute,” Luke said, squeezing her hand. “I think they look so good that we absolutely have to make them permanent.”

Mara closed her eyes. “I love sparrows. You know that. You’ve known it since high school. I’ve never told you why though.”

“Then tell me,” Luke said, curious.

“I loved my grandfather so much. He was my favorite person in the world. And he always called me his little sparrow,” Mara murmured. “After I lost him and I grew older, I wanted to get the tattoo to honor him. But I always thought that I’d also honor him by carrying that on, that I could call a child of my own my little sparrow someday. And then...there’s no one to call that. So no, I’m not afraid of needles. It’s an excuse. I’m not sure I can have a reminder of the fact that there’s never going to be anyone to call that permanently inked into my arm.”

Mara stood up and walked out of the room, leaving Luke sitting there. He stood up after a few minutes and went to Mara’s studio, knowing that she’d be in there. He found her sitting in front of her easel crying, and he went to her, pulling her up into his arms. Mara buried her face in his neck as she sobbed and Luke held her close, murmuring soft phrases to let her know how much he loved her. 

Eventually, Mara pulled back and Luke reached up to wipe away her tears. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for,” Luke said seriously. “And I will tell you that till the end of time.”

Mara took a deep breath. “I should be over this by now. I should have moved on by now. It’s been years.”

“It doesn’t work like that. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been. It’ll happen when you’re ready for it.”

“And if I don’t?” Mara asked quietly. “You got me to admit that we could have a conversation about adoption once I got over this. But what if I don’t?”

Luke leaned forward and kissed her softly. “Then it’ll just be you and me and I will love you more each day.”

Mara leaned into him and Luke kissed her forehead. She took several deep breaths and then tilted her head to kiss Luke. “I just wanted a little sparrow.”

“I know,” Luke said. “I think we should get the tattoos. A representation of the fact that we’re each other’s sparrows.”

It took Mara a few moments, but then she nodded. “We’re each other’s sparrow.”

“Exactly.”

Mara held up her arm to look at it, sighing. “I ruined it.”

Luke looked at his arm too. “So did I.”

“And we didn’t get the pictures yet.”

“Then we’ll just have to repaint them.”

“Yeah,” Mara murmured. “That way we’ll have something to show the tattoo artist.”

“Exactly,” Luke responded. “Mara, I love you. Just the way you are.”

“I know,” Mara breathed out. “And I love you too. Now let’s fix these. Sit down. I’ll do yours first.”


End file.
